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Abstract

There are many possible ways of reading J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series because it has borrowed elements from several genres, ranging from the detective story to the bildungsroman. While recognizing the series as fantasy, this thesis focuses on its realistic elements in order to explore the possibility of reading the Potter saga as an expression of Rowling's social criticism. Even though the topics are interrelated, they have been divided into five categories/chapters. The first chapter deals with the middle class and how its members can be criticized for their materialism, conformity, and shallowness. In addition, even though it is a critique of contemporary society as a whole, comsumerism has also been included. Chapters two and three, which deal with different social classes, including slavery, and race, most clearly show that Rowling can be seen as an ethical writer who believes in personal integrity, regardless of class and race. The fourth chapter is concerned with a somewhat different matter: ambiguity. By presenting several ambiguous characters in the series, there is reason to believe that the author is trying to warn as against the danger of seeing things as just black or white. Finally, the last chapter deals with two kinds of authorities: media and government. While Rowling's humorous writing is evident throughout the series, her satirical portrayals of media as well as a malfunctioning government are perhaps the best examples to show how she manages to use humor as an effective weapon.